Human emotion of wanting " i want it" does it ever stop? What do we truly want?

a reply to: TheJesuit

What do we truly want?

I need not to want, all my wants are not needed. I need my needs. My needs are met. I cant have all my wants met. I met my wants as a subset of needs.

your list of stuff

Stuff stuffs you up, and it clutters your space and mind.

Of course this doesnt mean you shouldnt aquire stuff.

You dont need to live with just a robe and cane.

Just make sure your needs arent your wants. Make sure your wants are things you desire, for the right reasons. Not just because your buddy has one or tv told you so.

Ya, I know, look at my avatar. I am of ability to have that without harming my family. First new car I have owned in alot of years. And I did so with my feet and firmly on the ground and head not in the clouds. It wasnt a whim. And it requires no hardship nor outlandish reasons in my life. If it had to go tomorrow , it would be gone tomorrow.

a reply to: TheJesuit

I've reported before on this type of question that the culprit is an animal instinct gone haywire. In my college Economics 101 the first day the instructor told us the first law of economics: "Human greed is insatiable." (End of quote.) It can't get anymore simpler than that. These big brains need to move on away from physical pleasures of all kinds to more satisfying goals of pure mind. --'Not likely to happen for most humans that cannot even understand the concept.

a reply to: TheJesuit

is it hardwired into our minds as a human in this day and age or culture? Are you aware of it in whole ?

"Aware"? Well, yes you might say that I Am.

"Ask and you shall receive" , we've all heard that before, right?

Anagram for "Ask and you shall receive" is: " A heavenly Lord cues; I ask!"

Anagram for "Ask and you shall receive" is:Use a "Holy Visa Card": Kneel

And there's even more! But I'm not gonna tell ya ... yet.

But I think you might have a clue already.

I'm not in a hurry.
Don't be in a hurry.

originally posted by: TheJesuit
Hi All,

So just doing a bit of contemplation and my mind crossed the thought of wanting something not really needing it but wanting for whatever conscious or unconscious justifications you may come up with, is it hardwired into our minds as a human in this day and age or culture? Are you aware of it in whole ? Example lets say you have a fixed sum of 5000 a week forever how long would your list of stuff you would want to get and how would it lead to more stuff to get . what do we really want ?

Your thoughts Cheers.

It does end. Many people already act as minimalists that have simply overcome the desire for stuff. Others have taken the idea that by always craving new possessions you make yourself miserable as there's a never ending need to consume, many of those people have learned to be content with what they have.

Also, note that $5000 per week barely even puts you in the top 1%, in fact in many areas of the US that's just a slightly above average living wage. $5000/week would never buy you a dream home in Santa Barbara for example.

Thank you all !!! for the different perspectives on this, your all of you- each uniquely awesome. thanks!

a reply to: TheJesuit

So just doing a bit of contemplation and my mind crossed the thought of wanting something not really needing it but wanting for whatever conscious or unconscious justifications you may come up with, is it hardwired into our minds as a human in this day and age or culture?

Yes. It's done through the engineering of consent via advertising and marketing in order to appeal to the emotional mind instead of the reasoning mind. The emotional mind wants to consume what it doesn't need. The reasoning mind dictates behaviour that leads one to only consume basic needs to survive and function.

This is why we live in a world where many work to consume and the overuse of credit cards exist. For instance; there are many people in this world who do not have at least 60 000$ in their bank account, yet have financed (dished out) that amount, plus interest, in automobiles, and purchased items on credit that they also paid with interest during their life time. In other words: they have earned and frivolously spent at least twice that amount in their lives without ever realizing it. Some do realize it, but their emotional mind is so dominant over their reasoning mind, they become apathetic towards it all.

Ask the average person if they are able to save 40 000$ within the next four years and many will answer with an emphatic no, yet many will go about financing a car and putting items on credit that exceed that 40 000$ in that same amount of time without ever realizing it.

Something to contemplate:

We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.

In theory, everybody buys the best and cheapest commodities offered him on the market. In practice, if every one went around pricing, and chemically testing before purchasing, the dozens of soaps or fabrics or brands of bread which are for sale, economic life would become hopelessly jammed. To avoid such confusion, society consents to have its choice narrowed to ideas and objects brought to its attention through propaganda of all kinds. There is consequently a vast and continuous effort going on to capture our minds in the interest of some policy or commodity or idea.

Business offers graphic examples of the effect that may be produced upon the public by interested groups, such as textile manufacturers losing their markets. This problem arose, not long ago, when the velvet manufacturers were facing ruin because their product had long been out of fashion.

Analysis showed that it was impossible to revive a velvet fashion within America. Anatomical hunt for the vital spot! Paris! Obviously! But yes and no. Paris is the home of fashion. Lyons is the home of silk. The attack had to be made at the source. It was determined to substitute purpose for chance and to utilize the regular sources for fashion distribution and to influence the public from these sources.

A velvet fashion service, openly supported by the manufacturers, was organized. Its first function was to establish contact with the Lyons manufactories and the Paris couturiers to discover what they were doing, to encourage them to act on behalf of velvet, and to help in the proper exploitation of their wares.

An intelligent Parisian was enlisted in the work. He visited Lanvin and Worth, Agnes and Patou, and others and induced them to use velvet in their gowns and hats. It was he who arranged for the distinguished Countess This or Duchess That to wear the hat or the gown. And as for the presentation of the idea to the public, the American buyer or the American woman of fashion was simply shown the velvet creations in the atelier of the dressmaker or the milliner. She bought the velvet because she liked it and because it was in fashion.

The editors of the American magazines and fashion reporters of the American newspapers, likewise subjected to the actual (although created) circumstance, reflected it in their news, which, in turn, subjected the buyer and the consumer here to the same influences. The result was that what was at first a trickle of velvet became a flood.

A demand was slowly, but deliberately, created in Paris and America. A big department store, aiming to be a style leader, advertised velvet gowns and hats on the authority of the French couturiers, and quoted original cables received from them. The echo of the new style note was heard from hundreds of department stores throughout the country which wanted to be style leaders too. Bulletins followed despatches. The mail followed the cables. And the American woman traveler appeared before the ship news photographers in velvet gown and hat.

The created circumstances had their effect. "Fickle fashion has veered to velvet," was one newspaper comment. And the industry in the United States again kept thousands busy.

"History as a weapon - Propaganda" by Edward bernays (Published 1928)

www.historyisaweapon.com...

This may seem unrelated, but the same practice is used for elections, and this is why those who actually waste their time, energy, and brainpower (emotional mind) discussing and debating presidential candidates deserve a good slap to wake them up. Especially if they are over the age of 30. There is no excuse for such ignorance in this day and age, especially on a site dedicated to denying ignorance.

Go look at them speak about Trump and Sanders in the other forums. Crazy world...

Desire fades as Appreciation replaces it. Then, you'll know that everything will be ok, you are safe, and you have what you need.

a reply to: TheJesuit

Are you aware of it in whole ? Example lets say you have a fixed sum of 5000 a week forever how long would your list of stuff you would want to get and how would it lead to more stuff to get . what do we really want ?

I guarantee that having 5000$ of weekly disposable income would still be spent (perhaps not the full amount) without purchasing "things". It's the "experience" of fulfillment that many truly seek - not things - and that can arise in many forms. Sure, many will initially seek out material objects such as building their dream home, cars, boats, and vacation property, etc; but after all that that materialistic void becomes filled, they will find themselves no longer desiring materialistic things. It loses its taste. Many will come to discover before purchasing all those "things" that they actually do not desire it at all. Once you have the money to buy those things, you actually do not want it anymore. The journey is what truly mattered and this where they will discover that experience and people is all that truly matters - not things.

Some may be foodies at heart and will spend some of that weekly disposable income indulging in fine dining experiences, food festivals, hanging out at pubs and eateries with friends. Some may be fans of globe trotting and desire to see as much of this blue pearl as possible and will spend that $ travelling to exotic places and not so exotic places. Some may have a bucket list and will spend that income crossing off many experiences on that list. Some may have passions and interest they would explore such dance, theatre, art galleries, museums, painting, sculpting, learning an instrument, writing, playing a sport, etc. Some may have charitable causes dear to their hearts and will use that money for those causes. Some may join some of those causes and dedicate some of their time in poorer nations. Some may use that money to become venture capitalist in order to make other people's dreams come true or invest it in a ways that helps the community. Some may just give it away. Some may not even spend a dime of that income and just chill at home commenting on social media every now and then.

what do we really want ?

I have no clue what others truly want. I can only guess based on my own personal life philosophy and experiences.

I "want" what I "need" which is fulfilling experiences that bring comfort, or a sense of well being, into my daily existence. That can be accomplished without money, yet money, provides many the abundance of time (freedom) to pursue such experiences. True abundance is found in freedom of expression, not things.

Those that want a yacht or Lamborghini only seek those "things" because they haven't realized it is freedom to express themselves daily and have joyful experiences with dear loved ones, is what they truly seek. Those who have money seek (want or desire) experiences that breathe life into them. There are many who have money and yet even the experiences do not provide them any form of comfort or peace. These are the ones who become greedy and keep "wanting" more. They instead seek the experience of power and absolute power corrupts...their hearts, more often than not. Miserable they are.

"I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer" ~ Jim Carrey

It's always the journey and people that counts. Even the experience of laying on tropical beach and sipping margaritas will lose its appeal if there is no one around to share it with.

Bringing joy and fulfillment to others, along to one's self, will feed the soul. That for me is the journey. That is what both wants and needs boil down to for me. Even Hemingway isolated on the island of Jamaica still wrote - for others - along for himself. If this were not true for him and all authors, there would be none of their books to read. Hemingway would of kept it all to himself within his mind, or burned the papers, after quenching his thirst to get it all out.

The human mind has the ability to imagine absolutely anything except for what is actually happening.
What is happening is what there IS. What the mind imagines is what there ISN'T. The ISN'T that the mind imagines is missing, is what makes it seem as though there is something missing.
What there IS is THIS. And the mind images lack.

Great trouble comes from not knowing what is enough.
Great conflict arises from wanting too much.
When We know when 'enough is enough',
There will always be enough.

The Tao Te Ching #46

namaste

those who are not satisfied with what they have, will never be satisfied with what they get.

Wanting to be free, or wanting liberation is a very healthy and valid desire, and it just so happens to be the very few desires you can fulfill today and keep PERMANENTLY.

I once heard Babaji said: when you desire something so bad, and attain it. The 'good' feeling that results does not come from what was attained, it comes from the release of the desire/demand on your system., until you subject it to another desire. So the peace and joy that one thinks comes from attainment of things, is a natural state you experience when you're not subjecting your system to the desired thing itself. Peace and joy is your NATURAL state, which is why it is not something to be attained or achieved, it's YOU without the demand or need to attach your joy on to external things which, in and of themselves, do not contain nor supply what you're looking for which is good news for anyone who seeks liberation.

a reply to: TheJesuit

Human emotion is not the problem.

Find the REAL problem, the LACK of emotion coming from others, who LEECH off of us for eternity, and keep us from knowing.

a reply to: TheJesuit